Text- Romans 8:28- “All things work together for good to them that love God, and to them that are called according to His purpose”
In the past few days, we have been talking about the operational forces of life. I mentioned that there are seven operational forces which act as variables in life, ensuring that God's purpose is established. I also mentioned that God has all of these seven forces at his disposal to use as he wills.
Recall also that I said the devil is limited in access to these operational forces, but the born-again man has unlimited access to appropriate all of these seven forces for his benefit. We have talked about the first three operational forces – wishes, opinion and influence. Today, we’ll go on to talk about the fourth operational force of life – AUTHORITY.
The Centurion that met Jesus in Capernaum said, “For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, 'Go,' and he goes; and that one, 'Come,' and he comes. I say to my servant, 'Do this,' and he does it.” (Matthew 8:9). There is no better picture than this to depict authority.
Authority is the ability to gain the respect and devotion of other people. It refers to the quality with which a man can prevail over the turnout of events by giving orders. A good example of this are the people referred to as elder statesmen. Elder statesmen are authority figures as far as the affairs and politics of a nation are concerned, although they may have no political power.
Whenever you hear the word authority, a word that must readily come to your mind is “orders”. Sometimes however, orders can be disobeyed by rebels. This somehow reduces the efficacy of authority as an operational force in life. To handle rebels sometimes require something more than just authority.
Matthew 28:18 “Then Jesus came up and said to them, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me”. This implies that the devil has no iota of authority whatsoever, because ALL authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Jesus Christ. Isn’t that amazing?
Luke 9:1 further tells us that Jesus called his twelve disciples together, and gave them power and authority over all devils. This implies that we, as children of God and disciples of Jesus Christ, also possess authority.
God has given the church authority and victory in both the natural and spiritual realms where He is head over all things. We must however note that the authority of the believer comes from God and from His Word.
Remember, when a man possesses authority, he gives out orders; and since orders are given by verbal expression, you must choose your words carefully, and mind what you say! Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof. (Proverbs 18:21)
Bible says, “When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice” (Proverbs 29:2). This means it is God’s desire to have righteous people, like you and I in places of authority on the earth. Beloved, rise up and take your place!
PRAYERS
1. Dear Lord, please enable me to bridle my tongue, so that I will not misuse the authority you have given me.
2. I take authority over the devil, his cohorts and his operations in any matter that concerns me. I resist you in the Name of Jesus.
3. I am the righteousness of God, so I rise up today and take the place of authority that God has prepared for me on this earth.
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